


Partnership

by wei



Category: Naruto
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-03-13
Updated: 2010-03-13
Packaged: 2017-10-07 23:10:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 469
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/70231
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wei/pseuds/wei
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A boy and his dog.  Three unconnected drabbles starring Kiba, Akamaru, and Team 8.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Partnership

**Author's Note:**

> Written for the gen meme at naruto_meme. Prompt: Kiba and Akamaru. Ahh, the special bond between a man and his dog.

They ran. They ran and ran through the forest, dodging the trees, wind whipping through hair and fur. Their feet got muddy, his clothes got dirty, but they didn't care.

They ran laps around Konoha, circling, circling, but this wasn't training, this was freedom, this was joy. It was running round and round in circles, but more importantly, running round and round in circles besides your best friend.

Kiba jumped on Akamaru's back, and his friend moved faster. Akamaru let out a howl that echoed through the forest. Happiness was being carried by your partner when you were tired, and happiness was being able to carry your partner. They were partners, best friends, and would never let each other down.

\--

The teams in Kiba's year were all built around themes. Team seven was a straight combat team, team ten was an infiltration team, and team eight was a tracking team. When Shino said as much, Kurenai said he was being too prosaic. Kiba said that the teams were all made of an overly talented stoic, a cute girl, and an awesome and super powerful leader that saves them all. Kurenai said that he wasn't anywhere close to the truth. When he, Shino, and Hinata were eating lunch after training, Hinata said that team seven was a team of future legends, team ten was a team of childhood and forever friends, and team eight was a team that would never be alone. Kiba said she should have told Kurenai, but Hinata thought it would have been cruel. Maybe after the baby was born.

Still, it was much better and much truer. Shino had countless allies buzzing within him. Kiba supposed that made Shino the queen bee, though he couldn't get the nickname to stick, since Hinata refused to call him that. Hinata, though it took a long time to make so, fought with the weight of her whole clan supporting her.

And Kiba? Kiba had Akamaru.

Maybe team eight should be the team that couldn't be outnumbered. They were the basic four man band - five with Kurenai along - but with Shino's gazillion bugs and who knows how many generations of stuffy dead guys, team eight could take on the world.

\--

Everyone laughed when he said he hadn't noticed how Akamaru had gotten bigger. After all, who could miss when a puppy that once could sit on his head could now carry him effortlessly? But Kiba wasn't dense, and he wasn't a certain blind blockhead who would miss a crush if she fainted in front of him. Repeatedly.

It was just that ever since he first laid eyes on Akamaru, he saw a dog with the drive and loyalty and heart of a giant. The only thing that had changed since then was that everyone else could see it now too.


End file.
